Spinach Pecan Pesto

Spinach and pecan bring hearty greens and sweet nutty flavor to this traditional italian sauce. We love ours on pasta or on top of baked chicken with cheese!

Course Sauces

Cuisine Italian

Keyword pecan pesto recipes, pesto sauce, spinach pesto

Prep Time 5

Total Time 5

Servings cups

Calories 777kcal

Ingredients

2 cups basil
1 cup baby spinach
½ cup pecans
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 lemon zested
2 cloves garlic
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup parmesan cheese grated
½ cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

In a food processor, add the spinach, basil, pecans, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, salt, and parmesan cheese. Pulse 15 to 20 times until the ingredients are coarsely chopped.
Set the food processor to run on low speed. Slowly pour the olive oil through the food chute until incorporated.
Use the pesto right away or store in air tight container in the refridgeratorfor up to two weeks.

Notes

Make sure all the ingredients are well chopped before adding the olive oil so each bite of pesto will have all the ingredients.
Pulse the ingredients to chop them instead of just running the food processor on high. If the pecans fall to the bottom of the food processor and you're running it at full speed instead of pulsing you'll end up with nut butter.
To freeze: Scoop the pesto into an ice cube tray, freeze, then pop out and store in an air tight container. You can also store in a reusable storage bag, press out the air, and freeze.

Nutrition